Because of his key role in the fight against corruption, Personnel reshuffle in the PLA: The Liu Yuan was an ideal candidate to become head of the two promotions that did not happen new Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) in the PLA, which is to be under the direct control of the CMC.28 Jérôme Doyon According to the Hong Kong magazine Zhengming, Xi put forward Liu as his only candidate for the CDI leadership The reform of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), launched during the Party-State leadership’s Beidaihe meeting in in November 2015, is mainly aimed at organisational August 2015.29 At the meeting, the members also discussed transformation, but also has a significant impact on making Liu a CMC member at the Fifth Plenum of the personnel politics. The sweeping changes underway within 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress, which the army have provided Xi Jinping with what would seem took place in October 2015. His promotion was put to the like an excellent opportunity to promote his followers and vote among the CMC’s 11 members in October. For major demote others. However, the early retirement of General Liu decisions like this, a minimum of 75 percent “yes” votes is Yuan and the apparent demotion of General Cai Yingting required, and this minimum was not reached at the meeting. have attracted a lot of attention, because they appear to Five members voted for Liu’s nomination to the CMC, three run counter to this rationale. Both men are seen as being voted against, and three abstained. In November, the CMC close to Xi Jinping, and both seemed to be set for a bright voted again, but Liu still did not get the votes. General Fan future in the PLA, but neither were promoted. Liu Yuan, Changlong, the CMC’s number two, voted against Liu’s previously political commissar of the General Logistics nomination, highlighting the tense relationships between Department, was expected by analysts to become the head Liu and other high level officers. The Zhengming article of the new PLA Commission for Discipline Inspection under points out that Liu Yuan made a lot of enemies in the PLA the Central Military Commission (CMC). Cai Yingting, head by zealously fighting corruption even before Xi started his of the former Nanjing Military Region, was expected to lead campaign in 2013.30 the Joint General Staff Department.26 Liu Yuan’s retirement was announced on 16 December 2015, The sidelining of these two heavy-weights could be apparently as a result of the resistance to his nomination interpreted as the first sign that Xi Jinping’s hold over to the CMC. According to Zhengming, Liu Yuan met the PLA might not be as strong as had been thought. twice with Xi Jinping in December, and the two decided Speculative articles in the Hong Kong and Singapore press that Liu would have to sacrifice his career to facilitate the give nuance to this idea, putting forward claims that there implementation of the PLA reforms.31 Yu Zeyuan, a Beijing- may be a potential strategic rationale behind it. An analysis based journalist for a Singaporean newspaper, says that Liu of these commentaries will put forward that Xi Jinping Yuan’s retirement at the height of his career sets an example is not all-powerful, and must make compromises for the for other officers. If he could sacrifice himself for reform, implementation of his PLA reform, even if he does still other officers have little excuse to block it for their own retain the upper hand. interests. Indeed, any manoeuvres for personal gain would “look petty in comparison” (相形见绌, xiangxingjianchu).32 The sacrifice of Xi’s main ally in the PLA Even so, Yu Zeyuan says that more than Liu’s retirement General Liu Yuan is the son of Liu Shaoqi, president of will be needed if the PLA reforms are to be successful.33 In the People’s Republic of China from 1959 to 1968. As particular, the officers and soldiers who will be displaced such, Liu Yuan is one of the main representatives of the in the reorganisation will need to be given guarantees that “princelings”, an influential group made up of the children they will not lose their status in the process. The reforms of Party and military leaders from the Mao era. He is seen have an effect on a range of different entrenched interests. as a close associate of Xi Jinping, who is himself the son The four General Departments, which the reforms are set of former revolutionary leader Xi Zhongxun.27 Liu Yuan led to impact, were widely seen as “golden rice bowls” (金饭 the anti-corruption charges within the PLA. Even before 碗, jinfanwan) because of the opportunities for corruption Xi took power, he was a key player in the charge against available to their leaders. The early retirement of Liu Yuan, Gu Junshan, former deputy director of the PLA General who was portrayed as an exemplary officer and princeling, Logistics Department, who was removed from office in May should at least give other officers less leeway to fight the 2012. This opened the way for Xi’s massive anti-corruption campaign within the PLA, which led to the arrest of General 28 On the CMC’s Commission for Discipline Inspection, see Marc Julienne’s essay in this Xu Caihou and General Guo Boxiong, two former vice issue. 29 Qin Qiming, “Inside Liu Yuan’s retirement announcement” (劉源宣佈退役內情, Liu chairmen of the CMC. yuan xuanbu tuiyi neiqing), Zhengming, January 2016 (hereafter, Qin, “Liu Yuan’s re- tirement”). 30 Qin, “Liu Yuan’s retirement”. 26 Minnie Chan, “PLA reform: China’s top brass set New Year deadline for military com- 31 Qin, “Liu Yuan’s retirement”. mand restructure”, South China Morning Post, 8 December 2015, available at http:// www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1888202/pla-reform-chinas-top- 32 Yu Zeyuan, “Does the PLA reform bring with it a major personnel reshuffle?” (中国军 brass-set-new-year-deadline. 改迎来人事大变动?, zhongguo jungai yinglai renshi da biandong?), Lianhe Zaobao, 30 December 2016 (hereafter, Yu, “PLA reform personnel reshuffle”). 27 On the relationship between Xi and Princelings in the PLA, see Jérôme Doyon, “Xi Jinping and the Princelings”, China Analysis, December 2013, available at www.ecfr.eu/ 33 On the broader challenges to the PLA reforms, see Cristina Garafola’s article in this page/-/China_Analysis_Law_and_Power_in_Xis_China_December2013.pdf. issue. 9 XI'S ARMY: REFORMS AND LOYALTY IN THE PLA REFORMS AND LOYALTY XI'S ARMY: reforms to maintain their own privileges.34 his new position is prestigious, it does not compare to his previous role in terms of operational power. This transfer is On 25 February 2016, Liu Yuan was officially appointed vice- particularly surprising since Cai Yingting was particularly chairman of the National People’s Congress’s Economic and close to Xi. He was a key member of the so-called Nanjing Finance Committee. This kind of appointment is common faction, made up of figures from the Nanjing military for retiring senior officials and underlines the fact that Xi region, which includes Jinping values his “sacrifice”.35 “The retirement of provinces in which Liu Yuan should give Xi Jinping worked In the end, it was General Du Jincai who was named as other officers less for a long time and in head of the new CDI under the CMC. Since 2012, Du has leeway to maintain which he has a strong been the secretary of the old CDI, under the auspices of the their own privileges” network.36 PLA’s General Political Department, and so, like Liu, he too has been active in the anti-corruption campaign. As a result Like Liu Yuan, of his new appointment, he should soon become a CMC Cai Yingting was seen as a serious candidate for CMC member, and as he will not have reached the seniority limit membership, and his demotion is even more mysterious. he could remain a member after the 19th CCP Congress Overseas Chinese media sources have spread numerous scheduled for 2017. rumours about the reasons behind Cai’s downfall. One frequent rumour is that Cai Yingting was the personal A mysterious demotion secretary of Zhang Wannian, former vice-chair of the CMC and a close ally of Jiang Zemin, and Xi saw Cai as being Another change of personnel that seems to go against too close to the former leader and doubted his loyalty.37 Xi’s interests is the transfer of Cai Yingting from the role 36 On the Nanjing military region faction, see Willy Lam, “Xi Jinping Consolidates Pow- of commander of the Nanjing Military Region to that of er by Promoting Alumni of the Nanjing Military Region”, China Brief, 9 January 2015, available at http://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_ president of the PLA Academy of Military Science. While news]=43376. 37 Leng Qingshan, “Cai Yingting did not get Xi Jinping’s approval, who doubts him be- 34 Yu, “PLA reform personnel reshuffle”. cause his daughter married a foreigner” (蔡英挺没过习近平这关,疑因女儿跨国婚姻, Cai 35 Minnie Chan, “Non-combat role: Xi Jinping’s military spearhead against corruption Yingting mei guo Xi Jingping zheguan, yi yin nü’er kuaguo hunyin), Duowei, 17 Feb- ECFR/164 March 2016 www.ecfr.eu ECFR/164 March takes on new job with NPC”, South China Morning Post, 26 February 2016, available ruary 2016, available at http://blog.dwnews.com/post-877398.html (hereafter, Duowei, at http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1917585/non-combat-role-xi-jinpings-mili- “Cai Yingting”). Duowei is a Chinese-language news website based in New York; its con- 10 tary-spearhead-against-corruption-takes.